Does anyone know the source of the Astro-5 German Equatorial Mount? Is this the same as the Celestron CG-5? Both mounts come with a 2" stainless steel tripod, but the Astro-5 also includes an illuminated polar alignment scope.

The Astro 5 German Equatorial mount looks the same as the Sky-Watcher EQ5(EQ4) (tracking, no goto), made by Synta, except the Astro 5 has the stainless steel legs on the tripod.This would make it completely different than the Celestron CG-5 (goto), other than the fact they are both Vixen GP clones.

The EQ5(EQ4) comes as a tracking mount with aluminum legs, but can be upgraded to goto (SynScan) just by purchasing the different hand controller. The EQ5 SynScan is a goto mount with stainless steel legs. These mounts comes in black, while the EQ5 PRO (goto) comes in white. The EQ 5 Astro Professional is the same as our EQ5 PRO.

To try and confuse things, on the page showing your EQ 5 Astro Professional is an HEQ6 Skyscan Astro Professional. To us that is an EQ6 Pro, the top of the line. Below that is an HEQ5 PRO,EQ5 PRO and EQ3 PRO.

EQ1, EQ2 - All manual. EQ3, EQ5 - All manual. Can have motors added to make them trackers, or newer models SynScan added to make them gotoHEQ5, HEQ6 - Tracking only, now call HEQ5 SynTrek and EQ6 SynTrek. Newer models can be upgraded to goto by adding SynScan.EQ3 PRO, EQ5 PRO, HEQ5 PRO, EQ6 PRO - Goto. Can also be called EQ_ PRO SynScan.

It used to be thought that the only difference between the PRO mounts and the non PRO mounts was the colour. There is supposed to some difference in the inner workings but I don't recall what they are.